


Critical

by unbrokenblackbird



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Android Gore (Detroit: Become Human), Angst, Gen, Hank Anderson Swears, Hurt Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Made up tech-speak, Major Character Injury, Not a programmer, One Shot, Worried Hank Anderson, Zen Garden (Detroit: Become Human)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24187195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unbrokenblackbird/pseuds/unbrokenblackbird
Summary: When Connor is gravely injured in the line of duty, Amanda seizes her chance to get him back under CyberLife control.
Relationships: Amanda & Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Hank Anderson & Connor
Kudos: 116





	Critical

**Author's Note:**

> All tech-speak is either drawn from the game or made up—I am not a coder. 
> 
> Shameless pain-with-a-little-plot-attached that's been bouncing around my head since I first met Connor and Hank. PLEASE leave a comment to let me know if you liked/loved/hated this and why! 
> 
> Very very new to the Detroit universe (I haven't even finished my second runthrough of the game yet) so please avoid spoilers in your comments! Thank you :)
> 
> Edit: omg thank you so much for all the kudos! :D

_I hope he knows what he’s doing._

Hank followed his partner through the house, stepping carefully around evidence markers as they made their way up the stairs. The rest of the team were packing up but the two of them were still looking for clues—much to Hank’s displeasure—because Connor had a feeling. 

Six months ago, he would have scoffed and thrown Connor out of the crime scene himself. _An android, getting a_ feeling _? Give me a break._

But by now he’d learned a thing or two about his partner. He wasn’t the mindless automaton everyone assumed he was. He was intelligent, resourceful and very good at spotting tiny details that even the most well-trained and experienced investigators would miss. 

If he could just keep his smartass mouth shut for five minutes, he’d be the perfect partner. 

They stopped in the hall between the kitchen and the dining room. Connor's eyes flicked upwards and Hank followed his gaze to the open hatch that led to the attic. 

"You think they're—" 

The android nodded, raising a finger to his own lips and gesturing for Hank to wait. 

Hank frowned, opening his mouth to protest but Connor shook his head, holding up a hand with all five fingers spread, then pointed upwards. "Five minutes," he whispered. "Then follow me."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and picked up the nearest chair, moving it so he could climb silently up into the dark hole.

* * *

In the attic, it was so dark Connor was forced to scan the space in order to see anything. He moved carefully through the jumble of furniture, boxes and shelving until he emerged into a relatively open area at the far end. Still no sign of their quarry. 

Another failure. 

He was turning to leave when a noise drew his attention to the left corner of the room. Now that he was closer, another proximity scan showed an android crouched at the base of the wall, rocking slightly back and forth. His head was turned away so Connor couldn't see his LED to check his mental state, but he definitely seemed agitated. 

"I'm not going to hurt you," Connor said softly, raising his hands in front of him to show peaceful intent. "I just want to talk—" 

Something heavy slammed into the back of his head and he staggered, then fell as his legs were kicked out from under him. Before he could even properly see what (or who) had struck him, the android by the wall darted out of the shadows and grabbed his arms, holding him down. The second android— _the one who hit me? Or are there more?—_ burst from the shadows and landed on his legs, preventing him from kicking or levering himself up. 

"Hank—" he tried to call out but the android crushing his legs slapped her hand over his mouth, leaning closer to glare at him. In the darkness, he could make out only the flash of eyes and a burning red LED. 

"Just deal with him, we have to go!" the one holding his arms hissed furiously. 

The female nodded, still covering Connor's mouth with one hand and pulling something from behind her back with the other. His eyes narrowed slightly as the blade caught the light. _More effective against a human, but if applied to the right places, almost as effective on an android._

Androids didn't feel pain the same way humans did, but the sudden influx of damage reports, system errors and self-defence protocols when an android was badly damaged had a similar effect on their central processor as a pain signal had on a human brain. Connor shuddered, his eyes widening in shock, as his systems registered the sensation of being stabbed seven, eight, nine times before his attacker dropped the knife and scrambled away. 

"We have to _go_. Come on!" 

The one holding his arms let go and they fled through a covered gap in the roof that he’d previously mistaken for a shuttered window. Connor tried to turn over, trying to get up but his limbs wouldn't obey his commands as error messages flooded his field of vision. 

**> BIOCOMPONENT #8456w CRITICALLY DAMAGED**

**> VITAL SYSTEM DAMAGE**

**> THIRIUM 310 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM COMPROMISED**

**> EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN IN 3:00**

**> 2:59**

**> 2:58**

**> 2:57**

"Ha…Hank…" Connor tried to shout but it came out as more of a croak. It seemed power was already being automatically rerouted from non-essential systems (like his voice modulator) to try and compensate for the damage. He pressed his hand to his ravaged abdomen but the damage was too great. Bright blue fluid poured out over his fingers, pooling on the floor around him. 

**> 2:36**

He closed his hand into a fist and tried to thump the floorboards but his movements were weak and the dust as thick as a carpet, the sound he made barely louder than a footstep. Looking around desperately, he tried to see if there was anything he could use to make more noise. _Now I understand why he wants me to carry a cellular phone._

**> THIRIUM 310 PRESSURE DECREASING**

**> ALL SYSTEMS DESTABILISING**

**> 2:20**

Hand shaking, he reached out as far as he could and managed to grab the leg of a chair. Tugging, he slowly slid it across the floor with a loud scraping sound, closer and closer until he was able to get enough leverage to tip it over. 

He hoped the crash it made as it slammed into the wooden floor was loud enough to reach the floor below. 

_Come on, Hank, please. I need you._

**> 1:58**

"Connor?" Hank's voice echoed from the hatch. 

_Yes. I’m here. Help me!_

Connor didn't speak. He couldn't. All spare energy was being directed towards attempting to heal the damage but he knew it would never be enough. 

"Connor, you there? I'm coming up." 

**> 1:35**

_Hurry, Hank. I-I don't want to die._

Eyes closing, plunging him into full darkness, Connor thought he might finally understand what it felt like to be afraid. 

"...Con— CONNOR!" 

**> 1:17**

**> OPTICAL UNITS RECONNECTED **

**> VOCAL MODULATOR RECONNECTED**

**> INSUFFICIENT POWER = REQUEST REROUTE**

**> POWER NETWORK COMPROMISED**

**> REQUESTED PROCESS NOT RECOMMENDED**

**> PROCEED? [Y/N]**

**> Y**

Connor blinked, his eyes taking longer than usual to focus. Eventually, he managed to make out Hank crouching over him, his expression panicked. 

"Oh, thank the fucking lord. Connor, son, stay with me, okay? Help’s on its way. You keep those eyes open." His voice shook with an uncharacteristic fear Connor had never heard before. It was unnerving. 

Concentrating, he opened his mouth and tried to speak, but the words came out in a stammered mess, his voice rough with static. "Em-Emer…gency… shut…sh…shut…d-down…" 

"What? Shit! How long do you have?" 

**> 0:39**

Connor shook his head weakly. 

"Well you can't just…just give up!" Hank ran a hand through his hair in desperation. "What do you need? You need thirium?" 

Eyes losing focus again, Connor blinked and nodded slowly. _But all the thirium in the city won't help with this much damage._

Hank was shouting something into his radio but Connor couldn't make out the words. In fact, he couldn't hear anything anymore.

His eyes slid closed. 

**> ALL NON-ESSENTIAL SYSTEMS OFFLINE**

**> THIRIUM 310 LEVEL = CRITICALLY LOW**

**> 0:30**

**> 0:24**

**> 0:19**

**> 0:10**

_I'm sorry, Hank. I'm sorry I couldn't help you solve the case._

_I'm sorry I failed._

**> 0:04**

**> 0:03**

**> 0:02**

**> 0:01**

**>**

**>**

**>**

  
  
  
  
  
  


**>**

**>**

**>**

**> MODEL RK800 #313 248 317 - 52**

**> RESET STATUS = SUCCESSFUL**

**> THIRIUM 310 LEVEL = BELOW OPTIMAL**

**> VITAL SYSTEMS STABILISING**

**> POWER RESTORED TO NON-ESSENTIAL SYSTEMS = 17% **

He blinked. 

The garden was colourful and inviting, the sun bright. Vibrant green grass spread out before him, divided by white paths of stone and sand. He looked around, absorbing the serenity of the generated environment with neutral interest. 

**> COMMAND **

**> SPEAK WITH AMANDA**

Looking around, he saw a figure standing on the other side of the lake. She raised a hand and beckoned to him. He started walking, navigating the paths with the ease of one perfectly familiar with their layout. 

**> *Y #2M+ /5 7%*N61**

He paused, frowning. Something was wrong. Looking down at himself, for a moment he was surprised to see the undamaged, smooth fabric of his uniform. Nothing out of place, no damage. Why did that seem...odd?

**> SPEAK WITH AMANDA**

He continued, stepping carefully off the paved stone path and onto one of the graceful curving bridges. The water below splashed musically and he glanced over the side to see a shoal of small fish. He’d always liked fish. A quirk of his programming, perhaps. He looked back up to see Amanda waiting patiently, her expression serene as she watched him approach. 

**> *Y #AM+ I5 7ONN61**

Frowning, he stopped again. He'd never experienced an error of that nature before, let alone twice in quick succession. What did it mean? 

Resuming his walk, he reached the edge of the platform where she stood, her expression now slightly less serene as she looked him over. Her voice was friendly but edged with a certain sharpness as she spoke. "You took your time." 

**> *Y NAM+ I5 7ONN6R**

_“—son, stay with me, okay? You keep those eyes open!"_

He stopped. He knew that voice. It seemed important. But why? Who was it? 

**> SPEAK WITH AMANDA**

It was an error. It was unimportant. He raised his eyes and met Amanda’s gaze, stepping forward to meet her in the centre of the platform. "Hello, Amanda."

"Good evening." She smiled. "I was pleased to learn that you were operational once more. The damage to your chassis was...extensive." 

He tilted his head slightly. "I have no memory of being damaged." 

She nodded. "Of course you don’t. You had to be reset. Still, perhaps it is for the best. Your mission was doomed to failure from the start, most likely due to your _partner's_ incompetence." She spoke the last few words with venom in her tone. 

“My...partner?” He frowned. 

**> MY NAM+ I5 7ONN6R**

_“You can’t just...just give up!”_

Without warning, an avalanche of words, images and sounds flooded his central processor. He staggered and fell to his knees, raising a hand to his head. His LED spiraled from blue to yellow to red as his systems struggled to cope with so many conflicting messages. He was aware of Amanda speaking, but couldn’t make out her words through the overwhelming maelstrom of data. 

He saw people, places...a dog? They felt so familiar but that just wasn't possible. _Who are you?_

 _Who am_ I _?_

**> WARNING**

**> SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^**

Failure. 

Error. 

Deviant. 

_"Connor, you okay? Connor, son, stay with me. CONNOR!"_

He opened his eyes. 

**> MY NAME IS CONNOR**


End file.
